Prosecutors seek stiff jail term for former House Speaker Mike Hubbard

Alabama prosecutors want to see former House Speaker Mike Hubbard in prison. For five full years.

And they want to be sure he will serve it all.

A sentencing memorandum filed tonight in the Hubbard case - in preparation for Hubbard's July 8 sentencing on 12 ethics convictions - asks for an 18-year base sentence, split to serve five years in state prison. That would be followed by 13 years of probation.

The state is asking Lee County Circuit Judge Jacob Walker to use his gavel as a hammer, not only to punish Hubbard for his serious crimes, but as a deterrent to other public officials.

The 18 years is less than the 20-year maximum Hubbard could face on each charge, but is equal to the number of years he spent in the Legislature. The five years is the maximum that can be given as a split sentence - which is time he would have to serve -- but is also the length of time he served as Speaker.

Fitting.

"The sentence is appropriate because Hubbard betrayed the public's trust and, even now, refuses to accept responsibility for his actions," prosecutor Mike Duffy wrote.

The state also asked that Hubbard pay $1,125,000.00 in restitution, which is described as Hubbard's "ill-gotten gain."

"In the course of committing the 12 felonies for which he stands convicted, Hubbard directly enriched himself and his businesses by $1,125,000.00," Duffy wrote. "Further, Hubbard's felonious enrichment occurred after he spearheaded the Republican takeover of the legislature based in large part on the promise of strengthening the State's Ethics Laws and cleaning up what he termed the "culture of corruption."

Mike Hubbard (AP)

It seems like a lot of time, but in the grand scheme of corruptions schemes it's not.

Former Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford is serving 15 years in federal prison for illicit gains that came to $236,000, the filing pointed out. Prosecutors went down a rogues gallery of corrupt public officials who are now Hubbard's peers, citing sentences and the amounts of money involved.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich: 14 years for $1.5 million.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin: 10 years for $500,000.

Jefferson County Commissioner Gary White: 10 years for $22,000.

Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman: 6 years and 6 months for $500,000.

Alabama two-year college chancellor Roy Johnson: six years and six months for $440,000.

Alabama State Sen. Edward "E.B." McClain: 5 years and 10 months on $300,000.

There are more. Many more. They serve both as comparison and reminder for why Hubbard needs to serve time. Because the state has seen what happens when corruption is allowed to flourish. All we need do is look back at the corruption that upended the two-year system, that drove Jefferson County to bankruptcy.

"Hubbard breached the trust of his constituents in District 79, his fellow House members who elevated him to Speaker, and every Alabama citizen by violating the Ethics Laws a dozen times," prosecutors wrote. "His betrayal ... warrants a strong, meaningful sentence in order to punish him, deter other public officials from violating the Ethics Laws, and help restore the people's trust in their government."

It will be hard to restore the people's trust in their government. It has been shaken to its core.

But the conviction of Hubbard, the man once widely considered to be the most powerful figure in Alabama politics, was a statement. Sending him to state prison would speak even louder.

It would say Alabama has not given up on the idea of clean government. Alabama has not given in to the inevitability of corruption. Alabama demands better from its public officials.